ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Foreign Correspondents Association�s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on THURSDAY, May 24 at Harry�s Bar, 28 Boat Quay. Registration will begin at 7:00pm with the meeting set to start at 7:30pm and finish no later than 9pm. Finger food and an open bar will be provided during the AGM. The AGM is the best opportunity for members to discuss past activities, the priorities for the year ahead and of course, vote for FCA officers. While only ordinary members have voting rights, associate members are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in discussions. There were fewer events in the last year, but the events that were organized remained high quality, interesting and newsworthy with strong guest speakers such as Mr Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Vivien Balakrishnan. I am proud that the FCA has grown from strength to strength, with membership rising 49 percent over the last three years, breaking back above the 200-strong level (the FCA currently has 205 members). Our reserves have also increased significantly, thanks to the increased membership as well as the committee�s efforts to reach out to sponsors for our most prestigious events. Having been President of this organisation since 2004 and having previously also spent two years on the Committee, it is my intention to step down at the AGM and give someone else the opportunity to take this organization forward. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have served on the FCA Committee over the last three years, generously volunteering their time, in particular, my Vice-President Manfred Rist who has been a source of great support and ideas, as well as Justin Wood who has served as Secretary and is the current FCA Treasurer. Several Committee members have also indicated their intention to step down this year. This organization is run by members for members and everybody has a role to play; I would urge you all to seriously consider serving on the Committee and running for office. Contact me if you have any queries on what the various positions entail. Details of the agenda, the minutes for last year�s AGM, proxy form to vote (for use if you are unable to attend the AGM) wase sent to all members. Contact the secretariat if you did not get these. I hope many of you can come to this important meeting and show your support to the volunteers who run this organisation. Regards, Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop FCA PRESIDENT